Ignition system for multicylinder internal-combustion engines.



R. 1301111; IGNITION SYSTEM FOR MULTIGYLINDER INTERNAL COMBUSTION I-ZNGINES I APPLIGATION IILED MAY 17, 1909. 1,003,424.

Patented $8 11.19, 1911.

v To all whom it may concern:

T the following to be a full,

Be it known that I, RUFUS L. BOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gary, county of Lake, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Systems for Multicylinder Internal-Combustion Engines, and declare such as will enable to which it pertains description of the same, others skilled inthe art to make and use the same, reference-being .had to the accom an in drawin s which form-a part of this specification.

In multi-cylinder internal combustion engines of high power it is common to make use of electro-magnet-ically-actuated sparkdrawing devices Whose operation is controlled by means of a timer driven from somemovable element so as to fire the cylinders in proper succession. Breaking the circuit atthe timer is very injurious to the timer and soon destroys it. It has been proposed to effect the breaking of the circuits in oil,

but even this expedient does not overcome the objection noted while its use is attended with other disadvantages.

53.1" it Figured .50

The object of my invention is to provide simple and novel control system for the spark-drawing devices of multi-cylinder engines whereby the disadvantages incident to the system to which I have referred are entirely obviated. I

. In carrying out my invention I so arrange ,the circuits that the de'e'nergization of the aetuatingor controlling magnets is accompilisl ed by the sparlcdrawing devices so that -whenever one of these devices is actuated, it simultaneously draws an are orspark and interrupts the circuit of one of the actuating ]or controlling magnets ofthe series.

The various features of novelty whereby many, invention is characterized will hereinafter. he pointed out with particularity in the; claims; but, are a -fullunderstanding of i ntiaaad was bi-ea e l d gtage ference. may be had to; 1 following provedc-s engineii t ithosei just; before the first cylinder is fired; 'Fig. 2 :.is siniilantoi F ig l, the controll ng Jswitch ii IiLl 'EfSOmG TQfQthQ connections. .b emg omitted and the condition of the parts being .that which takes place immediately after the v Specificationof Letters Patent. Application filed May 17,

clear, and exact led. descriptipn taken connection .twithithe accompanying drawing, wherein: y,

1 sr s n n imapplied to a, four-cylinder .1 1909. semi No. 496,566. a a

conditions indicated int liig. 1 have been reached; Fig. '3 is a; view'snnila'r to' Fig. 1 showing the condition of the parts when *the second cylinder has fired; Fig. tsliows 'a' form of spark-drawing device which may be employed; and Fig. 5 isa perspectiveview of the movable member of the master switch.

I have illustrated my -invention'as applied to a four-cylinder enginewherei'n there is a single spark-drawing Jde'vice associated" with each cylinder. It will, of course; be evident that my invention isnot limited to engines having any particular nuinberi'o'i cylinders.

or any particular numberof spark drawing devices for any one cylinder Neither is invention limited to any one Iornr offsp'arkdrawing device or to'fthe'mech'anical "construction of the masterjswitch' In Fig. 4 I have, however, shown aco'mmoli form of spark-drawing device by way of mus an s; Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing,A," B, C and D represent"the spark-drawingfdevices of a four-cylinder engine, there being one of these devices 'for'eac'h cylindefi 'and E, F, G and H are the controllmgcoilsifor these devices, each coil" being arrangdffdirectly above the spark drawing 'devi e which it controls. The spark-drawing. devicesare indicated as being of thfel'type twhf ein there are two relatively-movable contact; membersa and a which are caused; to'ino so as to draw a spark"; ing electro-magnet is ene zied. tend to keep the contact inejmber 06 a in engagement with each otheifi jThe able armatures, T, of' the ele'ctro-m are connected to the linova e c ctpl eces a by stems U, so that Whenoneo f the electromagnets is energized the corresponding con tactpieces are moved apartg fEachiofthe electro-magnets is indicated as being "made in two parts e and 6 but thisarraii'gen' ent is, of course,not essential. V

Electra-magnet isiconnected jin a raw e Series magnet G is; connected 1n .rk d awiii dev ce ab of. conductors ljandlli} arid, ,electr H a .t m e d in Janis, drawing device. A by means Ma dmrfltlw l hatef e b ispossibl'e to" maintain each 'e'le'ctr gm:

wan ing energized until the 'elect-ro-magnet on the following cylinder has been energized so as to actuate-the spark-drawing devicein Y the cyl1nder,"so that, b means of a suitwithout, however, making the work to be done by the spark-drawing devices more j severe than where their duty- 1s simply to j draw a'spark for making an ignition. ,Any suitable type of master switch, preferably of the revolving type driven from some moving part of the engine, may be employed. In

theidiagram the switch is shown indeveloped formand is illustrated as comprising a movable element made up of two insulated plates N and O and a series of'brushesr The plates N and O are in the form of continuous rijngi; having short laterally-extending sections-n and 0,- respectively.

P andP are a pair of brushes connected to a source of currentsupply indicated by conductors Q, and Q} and bearing respectively upon the members N and 0. One

Thetwo sets of brushe are indicated at E terminal of each of the electro-magncts is connected to a brush lying in the path of movement of the PI'UJCCUOD 'n. and'the other terminal of each of the electro-magnet s is connected to a brush lying in the path of movement .of the section or pro ect1on 0.

F G H and atE G and HF. The brushes of each series are spaced apart a distance less than the length'of one of'the sections 12, 0, so that each of these sections at timcs bridges two of the-brushes.

In Fig. 1 the left-hand cylinder has been fired but the contacts of the's park-drawing device -D, associated therewith, are still held apart because the electro-magnet H remains energized, current flowing through this electro-magnet from line Q, through lcrushP, plateN, brush H, coil 6 of this electro-- magnet, conductor m, spark-drawing device I a spark to fire'the "right-hand cylinder.-

When the spark-drawing device A is actu-' A, conductor M, coil e of this elec'tro-magnjet, brush H plate 0', brush P and back to conductor Q}. The right-hand cylinder is just about to fire, the brushes E and E having just come into contact with the projecting sections 1 and 0, respectively. A second circuit-may be traced from line-Q, through electromagnet E and I spark-drawing device'B' back toline Q}. As soon as current flows through this: latter 'circuit,

.elec'tro-magnet'E. is energizedand the spark-I drawing device A assumes the position 1nd1- cated in Fig. 2,'namely that which-produces ated, it not only provides 'a' spark for firing thecylinder butf-it also, at the same t me,

interrupts the circuit for the lelectro magnet the contact .a. -e and e3 represent t '-H and consequently the spark-drawing device D assumes' the closed position as indicated in .-F ig. 2. As the movable member of the master switch continues to revolve, the brushes, H and HF leavt'aj the projecting sections 11. and 0 respectively, and the energizing circuit for the electro-magnet H i disconnected from the source of current, but at a time when no current is flowing therethrough. After the circuit for the magnet H has been thus interrupted at the master switch, it cannot be again completed, even when the spark-drawing device A closes, until the movable memberof the master switch rotates through a suflicient angle to bring the sections 11 and 0 into engagement with the brushes H and H The condition of the parts remains the same as indicated in Fig. 2 until the members mand 0 of the master switch come into contact with the brushes F and F which are connected with the terminals of electro-magnet F.' This. engagement is effected before the engagement with the brushes E and E is inter-, ru pted. Consequently electro-magnet F is energized before electro-magnet E is deenergized and the deenergization of this latter magnet is efi'ected' at the spark-draw: ing devlceB, which is'mcluded in series with the electro-magnet E. As so n as this occurs the spark-drawing device A returns to-the closed posit-ion indicated in Fig. 30 Then, when the sections n and o are carried out of engagement withthe brushes E and E there canbe no hFcing at the master switch, since there is'no current flowing through these brushes In the same way in succession, each actuating its spark-drawing device and breaking the circuit of the magnet 'whichpreceded it until, fina ly, all of 'thecylindershave been fired anu it is again the turn of the right-hand cylinder, which then is fired in the manner previously described. It will thus be seen that the breaking of the circuit for each of the electro-magnets is accomplished by means ofone of the spark-drawing devices, so that -the master switch need only make the circuits and prevent them from being again closed, after having once been broken, unt1l the proper time arrives.

.the electro-magnets G and H are energized In Fig. 4 I have shown a commongfori'n of, spark-drawing device and its actuating madgnets, a indicating a stationary contact,

a, a movable contact mounted upon the and witha sprmg+S=w do so, holds the r'od'inza armature arranged betweenthese coils an learned upon a revoluble shaft -U. Uponlower end of a'revoluble rod R. Therod R- is, provided with an arm r at its'upper end. I

hich, when free to;

the lower end of the shaft is a finger u which, when the electro-magnet is energized, strikes against the arm 1' and rotates the rod It quickly, carrying the contact u out of engagementwith the contact a. As longas the magnet remains energized the two contacts a? and a remain out of engagement; but, as soon as the magnet is deenergized, the spring returns the rod R to its normal position and brings the-contacts into enga ement with each other.

- within the terms eniployedLin the definitions plurality of spark-drawing devices, actua t--'.

for successively connecting said magnets to of my claims.

WhatI claim is: 1. In combination, supply conductors, a

mg magnets for said devices, and means said supply conductors, said means including a controlling circuitifor each magnet containing the spark-drawing device actu-. ated .by the succeeding magnet.

2. In combination, a plurality of sparkdrawing devices, actuating magnets for saididevices, and energizing circuits for said magnets, each circuit including one of the magnets and one of the said devices actuated by another of said magnets. 3. In combination, aplurality of sparkdrawing devices, a controlling magnet for each of said devices, energizing circuits for said magents, each circuit including one of the magnets and one of the said devices controlled by another magnet, supply conductors and means for connecting the ener- .gizingcircuit of each magnet to said supply conductors before disconnectlng the circuit containing the spark-drawing device corresponding to the circuit which is being connected.

4. In combination, a plurality of sparkd'rawing devices, a controlling magnet for each of said devices, controlling circuits for said magnets, the cont-rolli'n circuit for each magnet including one 0 said devices invention constituting the. appended which is controlled'by another ,of said magnets, supply conductors, and meansfor successively connecting said controlling circu ts to said supply conductors, said means being constructed and arranged to connect each circuit before disconnecting the .one containing the spark-dra'win device correspending-to the circuit whic is being connected. e

5. Incombination, a plurality of sparkdrawing devices, a controlling magnet'for each of said devices, energizing circuits for,

said magnets, supply conductors, and a sw tch mechanism or connecting said circuits successively to said; supp y conductors, each of said circuits contalmng'one of said magnets and the spark-drawing device controlled ,by the'succeeding magnet, and

said switch mechanism being so constructed and arranged as to connect each circuit to said source before disconnecting another of said circuits.

6. vIn combination, a plurality of sparkdrawing devices, actuating magnets for said devices, each of. said magnets being connected in a clrcult 1n series with one of said devices actuated by another of said magnets',a'.source of current, and means for connecting said circuit. successively to said source.

7.111 combination, a plurality of sparkdrawing de 'ces, actuatmg means for saiddevices, con, olhng circuits for sald actuating means,ciich of said controlling circuits containing one of the said devices controlled by another of said circuits, supply conductors, and means for connecting said circuits successively to said supply conductors, 'said means being constructed and arranged to connect each circuit before disconnecting the one, containing the s arkcontrolling'device controlled by the circuit which is being connected. y

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

' RUFUS L. BOND.

Witnesses:

WM. F; Fnnonnnnnrcn, H. S. GAITHER. 

